Morfema Confederation
The foliage and vines of the Terran soil of Riacriak barely rustled in the breeze when Liornud trudged his way up the mountain to get to higher elevation. The sparse rays from the nearest sun that made their way through the leaves of the trees to brush against his skin caused him to let out an almost unwitting pleased hum. Rolling his neck, the Morfema made his way through the vegetation and up the mountain. His time had come. His partner had known it. He had seen the resigned acceptance in her eyes. He knew it. His entire body knew it. The humming in the back of his mind had grown insistent, pressing him to go higher, to find a place of sun and rest. To lay down his head and finally close his eyes. To be at peace. To create a new generation. Even so, he had tried to carry on at first, to ignore the impulse. He thought that he had still had much to do. But then the stroma had begun to grow out of the back of his neck. It hadn’t hurt (it never hurt others told him, pride for him in their voices), but the impulse quickly had become softly overwhelming. It reminded him distantly of the waves of an ocean that he had never known. It was odd. With his almost webbed feet, lidless eyes, and porous, blubbered skin, he had never thought that he had truly belonged in a Terran planet. He had always had to be careful when outside. But it had been where he was found. It was the place that he had landed, lucky and prosperous. He wondered what lands his ancestors had seen. Where they had resided. He wondered if his offspring would return there. It was debatable. Perhaps they would. Perhaps they would find other homes. Humming to himself, Liornud staggered into a relatively open clearing: sunlit, small plateau. Distantly, he felt himself smile as the humming in his head slowly subsided, leaving only a sense of empty peace. It had been many days since he had left the civilization of the city of Barques, but the happiness that he had always felt at the bustling noise of the crowded streets was nothing compared to the completeness and freedom that resonated within him at the moment. He wondered if any of the other Morfema had found this spot to transition before. He was almost certain that they had. Making his way to the middle of the grassy clearing, Liornud sat down on the ground, encircled by flowers, a small sigh escaping his lips as he did so. The small plumes of white smoke that encircled him and wisped out of his mouth and perithocial plate soothed and readied him as he breathed out. As he laid down, his fingers digging into the grass, he opened his eyes one last time. The sun was almost blinding; warmth and comfort were nearly overwhelming, but he saw what he had so desperately needed to catch a glimpse of. His irises traced the white plumes that escaped him as they made their way into the sky. Some were carried away by the wind. So many were. But a few of the others continued up, reaching higher and higher into the air. An almost giddy feeling overtook Liornud as he closed his eyes. Perhaps his offspring would be born in the oceans of his ancestors. Perhaps they would find new world. But for the moment, they were flying through the sky, searching and seeking for a new world to call home. Category:Nationbuilder IX: Stationbuilder